It’s time to visit the museum this summer, if you are planning to have an educational and wow moments this summer or in a weekend, then you can take a nice breathe of art created by our talented artist in our country, there’s an exhibit that was opened few weeks ago and it’s a meet and greet with the old and award winning art and also with the contemporary art, it’s a fusion of old meets new with a take of the same topic and concept. Lopez Museum opens its door once again for their 1st art exhibit theme for this year titled “Complicated”, yes that’s the title, its not a Facebook relationship status of an individual but it’s a status for our country, the Philippines, its complicated relationship with its colonial past, imagine how our lives were so complicated during the arrival of the Spanish, Americans, Japanese and I didn’t even know that the British landed here too before the Spanish colonial, it’s a history in your face when you are here in Lopez Museum, there are lots of things to discover and understand when you set your foot in Lopez Museum, there’s lot of education and new knowledge from the past that doesn’t appear in our high school text books.
It’s my 3rd time to visit Lopez Museum and it’s quite a shock for me that there’s a museum located at the ground floor of Benpres Building, the FX transpo that I ride going to Pasig City during college always pass by here, and I’ve been passing by for years and I didn’t know that there’s a museum infront of me. My first visit was in 2009 Zero In series - http://azraelsmerryland.blogspot.com/2009/11/zero-in-exhibit-featured-at-lopez.html and then my 2nd visit was last year 2013 ( I will post my blog soon about my 2013 visit)
Lopez Museum and Library presents the Complicated exhibit in cooperation with Tin Aw Gallery,featuring three talented artist – Mike Adrao, Leslie de Chavez and Ea Torrado
The exhibit will run from Feb 12-Aug 2, 2014, museum doors are open form 9am-5pm.
The exhibit is curated by Lopez Museum’s in house curators – Ricky Francisco and Ethel Villafranca
For more information, call Tina at 6312417 or email lmmpasig@gmail.com
I was lucky that I got invited to a preview of the exhibit and also met the three featured guest artist for “Complicated” exhibit at the Lopez Museum. Thanks to the Lopez group for organizing a meet up with the artist and also curators of the museum. I admit that I researched on Ea Torrado before I met her personally, because her contribution to this exhibit is different from the two visual artist.
Ea Torrado is known as a contemporary dancer, she choreograph the dance even before the music is blended in, I became an instant fan of her works after I saw her art dance on top of a rooftop, I just saw it via Youtube. Ea Torrado will showcase her dance via a video installation at the exhibit, she will interpret the life of Sisa looking for her two sons, but instead of two sons, it will be about real people who are missing for years (or could be dead already), and also her dance will reflect one of the iconic painting, España y Filipinas by Juan Luna. Ea said "I want to represent the different faces of a woman, the titled of the video is "Sisa", but my inspiration is to represent a more modernized mother presentation"
Mike Adrao drew too much attention to me when I saw his artworks,I can say that his piece is awesome, the art in charcoal on big size paper showcases lots of symbols that is related to our complicated relationship from the past, its like a puzzle of the past that is hard to absorb.
Leslie de Chavez art installation style is very impressive too, having an art installation looks so easy, and not just searching for an object that can be used as your medium for your art, but here he showed to us not only video or statue installations, but also some paintings he did that shows our trapped mindset to commercialism, its easy to agree because in this age, even the local news, are being branded to entertainment and commercialism. His exhibit shows not only the influence of the past but also the acceptance of its effect to modern times. Leslie also re-creates his own version of the painting study done be Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo’s “Per Pacem et Libertatem (For Peace and Liberty)”, he used a part of the painting study and added his own interpretation about America’s colonial invitation to the Philippines.
According to Ricky Francisco, the three artist planned this for a year and did research at Lopez Museum and Library and look at the art collection in order to integrate their works from the pieces of artwork from Lopez Museum.
Ethel Villafranca said that the exhibit will explore and show the after effect of colonization up to this modern time.
Lopez Museum is located in Benpres Building, the building is near the Tektite bldg
here’s a Foursquare and map location of the museum - https://foursquare.com/v/lopez-memorial-museum/4bbd6f798ec3d13a85211c28
Here are the entrance fee rates at Lopez Museum.
Adult – PHP 100
Students with valid ID
- Elementary – PHP 60
College/HS – PHP 80
Teacher – PHP 80
Senior Citizen – PHP 80
And then if you are a regular museum visitor, then they suggest that you avail the premium membership, for a price of PHP 1,500 you can get special privileges like getting your own membership card, free visit to the museum and library, free use of wifi, email alert to special invitation to events, borrow books and take it home with you and many more. for details and info just email lmmpasig@gmail.com
here are the top 20 highlights and must see in Lopez Museum’s latest exhibit for 2014 – COMPLICATED
1. Vintage Coca-Cola commercial in video installation by Leslie de Chavez
2. Who’s BAD ???? That’s a Michael Jackson wooden statue in an art installation by Leslie de Chavez
title of the art is “I just can’t stop loving you”
3.Painting by Leslie de Chavez, titled “King”
4.”Not everything that glitter is gold”, art mixed media by Leslie de Chavez, his own take of art borrowing some art study by Hidalgo’s After Per Pacem et Libertatem
5.A book of Philippine Cartoons, free browsing inside the museum.
6. Upside down Statue of Liberty with slum houses at the feet of the Statue, art installation by Leslie de Chavez, btw, that’s a wooden statue from Leslie’s collection of wooden sculptures. Artwork is titled “State of your Liberty”"
7. My favorite painting of Hidalgo, this is a painting study for his masterpiece “La Barco de Aqueronte”
8. Juan Luna’s “Espana y Filipinas” painting, this artwork is controversial last October 2013, because it was like the star of the night at Sotheby’s auction house, there are two version of this painting, the first was sold last year at US$3.3 million, according to news that the most beautiful version of the painting is the one at Lopez Museum, they say that it is the final and main artwork of Espana y Filipinas.
9. Ea Torrado’s choreograph dance in video installation, the title is “Sisa” , for me its one of the best show here in Lopez Museum’s Complicated exhibit.
10. Jose Rizal’s book in exhibit… I just can’t believe that I’m looking at Jose Rizal’s book and signature.
11. “When the medium killed the message” is another art installation by Leslie de Chavez, can you read the words that are embroidered on this canvass?
If you read it.. then congratulations… new generation of youths can read this jeje words hahahaaa.
12. “Manila saw the coming…” art by Jerry Elizalde Navarro, you can tell what came in our land during the early times of Manila.
13. Museum and Librarian in costume. I forgot the name of this guy, he’s like the walking history books, he knows too much about the historical past, I just wish that Arvin Ello is with us, he can go pinoy henyo with him. I love his costume showing the old era of our old heroes.
14. “Bargain” metallic art by Anton del Castillo, I’m sure everyone can relate to this…super expensive bags are now metallic art.
15. “Pillars” charcoal on paper art by Mike Adrao, there are 9 artworks around you, they act like pillars of an individual. I super enjoyed viewing this art, and according to Mike, he did one art for one week, and he even got sick while creating this masterpieces.
If I have big load of money.I will buy one Pillar artwork.
16. Hidalgo’s artwork, another controversial painting titled “El Asesinato del Gobernador Bustamante y su Hijo”, its about the assassination of the Gov. Bustamante during the 1700s, he was killed when the army of priest and citizen invaded his post after he jailed some of the priest who have a big debt from their government. If you see this painting, its like a photo that was captured by Hidalgo.
17. Painting by Benedicto Cabrera titled Soldiers of the Heroes Past 4 (1978), another painting that looks like a photo from the past.
below the painting are fiberglass sculpture by Leslie de Chavez, titled “Litanya ng tatlumput’ dalawang sumasampalataya”
they are soldiers from the past who prays and narrate some words about their loyalty to our country.
here are some of the words….
It’s a weird feeling, because those statues are sculpted by Leslie de Chavez and they are very realistic even if they are so small. Also, one of the best artwork here in Lopez Museum.
18. Android tablets with info about the artworks, you can see some of this tablet in a corner of each exhibit, you can use this to read more info about the artwork and exhibit.
19. Lopez Library
At the end of the museum, you can see here the main library of Lopez Museum and Library. There’s a library at the middle where you can inquire about some books and rare photos for your research.
20. Create your own exhibit here in Lopez Museum.
Kids and adults can enjoy the life of being an exhibit creator, Lopez Museum will give you a chance to have your own one of a kind exhibit in a museum. Lopez Museum curators will help you set up your exhibit by selecting some old photos on file and you’ll place this on a wall and name it with your own exhibit title.
Lopez Museum will take a photo of this exhibit, and will be promoted as one of the official exhibit.
Too bad that I forgot to try it, but I will in my next visit.
Old portrait of a lady from the past.
Artist talks and workshops
Lopez Museum is not just a museum and library, for the rest of the month up to August 2014, they have a series of workshop, lectures and activity for everyone.
read below the dates and featured guest
And ohhh.. check this out!
This May 18, 2014, it will be the International Museum day!! Lopez Museum will waive the entrance fee of PHP 80 and PHP 100. They will open the gates of the museum for FREE for everyone on May 18th.
Thanks for reading my top 20 must see in Lopez Museum’s COMPLICATED exhibit.
I learned that some of the artworks done by Ea, Mike and Leslie will be owned by the museum and others are for sale thru Tin Aw Gallery. if you are interested to acquire some of the rare artworks done by the three artist, you can inquire here in Lopez Museum for details.
and here are some fun photo ops during our museum tour!
Follow Lopez Museum on Twitter – @Lopez_Muse
LIKE!!
Lopez Museum and Library
Ground Floor, Benpres Building, Exchange Road, Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel: +63 2 6312417 (Museum) +63 2 6312425 (Library)
Opens 9am-5pm
website: http://lopez-museum.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lopez.Museum.Library
